Vanity of Life & Eternal Kingdom Work - Building For Our Children

What does man gain by all the toil

at which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

(Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 ESV)

Vanity
For most of us our endeavours will not make us famous in the generations to come. Will our children or grandchildren really care what car we drove, or what hobbies we had. Thinking of our children especially; will they really think all that much about what we accomplished in the workplace or what experiences we had in life?

Someone will pick up the mantle of our ministries or jobs. Or they'll scrap them altogether in favour of a different approach. Our names will probably never be mentioned that much in the generations after us as they concern themselves with the issues facing their day & hopefully their own personal & corporate, passionate pursuit of Christ. Lets stick with our children as examples.

Not All In Vain
In Christ works of faith will have a lasting legacy for the Kingdom's sake & for Christ's fame. 1 Corinthians 15:58 tells us "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."  Therefore while all our works & efforts will have no lasting benefit to us, they will have an impact upon the earth for the name of Jesus & the salvation of others.


You see i don't care if my children grow up and sweetly remember that each night i taught them about Jesus; that's not the point - the point is that they grow up knowing, trusting, loving, obeying & pursuing Jesus. And what of their children, & their childrens children; it's no eternal loss if they don't know our name, but if our kids teach their kids to know & love Christ, & their kids teach theirs . . .

 Rewards?
Someone will undoubtedly jump in about receiving rewards in heaven. Honestly crowns and badges and houses and golden streets don't overly interest me,  as long as i have Christ. I'm hoping i have the decency to lay what i get (if any) all back at His feet, since anything reward worthy in me is all of Him, from Him, by Him & For Him (Revelation 4:9-11).
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When it comes to my kids, my main concern for their future is about their souls; and i pray they are called by Christ!